You've been
A1, Mary; you've done your level best. But Richard's never treated Ned
fair. I don't want to take Ned's part; he's nothing in the world but a
pretty-faced noodle. But Richard's treated 'im as if he was the dirt
under 'is feet. And Ned's felt it. Oh, I know whose doing it was, we
were never asked up to the house when you'd company. It wasn't YOURS, my
dear! But we can't all have hyphens to our names, and go driving round
with kid gloves on our hands and our noses in the air."
Mary felt quite depressed by this fresh attack on her husband. Reminding
herself, however, that Polly was excited and over-wrought, she did not
speak out the defence that leapt to her tongue. She said staunchly: "As
you put it, Polly, it does seem as if we haven't acted rightly towards
Ned. But it wasn't Richard's doing alone. I've been just as much to
blame as he has."
She sat on, petting the fractious children and giving kindly assurances:
as long as she and Richard had anything themselves, Ned's wife and Ned's
children should not want: and as she spoke, she slipped a substantial
proof of her words into Polly's unproud hand. Besides, she believed
there was every chance now of Ned soon being restored to them; and she
told how they were going, that very morning, to invoke Mr. Smith's aid.
Mr. Smith was in the Police, as Polly knew, and had influential friends
among the Force in Melbourne. By to-morrow there might be good news to
bring her.
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